The Australian Industry Group has already raised concerns about the use of ice in the manufacturing, construction and transport industries.

But one drug expert says workplace testing is not a panacea and could prompt workers to change their behaviour to avoid detection.

Here is Sue Lannin.

SUE LANNIN: The use of crystal methamphetamine or ice has jumped in the community and that's also hit Australian workplaces.

The Australian Crime Commission says the latest national drug survey shows the reported use of ice more than doubled from 2010 to 2013 as did the frequency of use.

Innes Willox is from the Australian Industry Group wants to see more drug testing in the workplace.

INNES WILLOX: Our members are reporting more and more their concerns about use of ice in the workplace.

Statistics show that the use of ice is relatively greater among the employed than the unemployed, which is perhaps a little bit different to other drugs you'd imagine.

It's a drug that is impacting on the workplace in quite a significant way.

SUE LANNIN: Dr Ken Pidd is the deputy director of the National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction at Flinders University.

KEN PIDD: There most definitely, the use of ice as a methamphetamine is increasing, and yes, that is also showing up in the workplace as well.

SUE LANNIN: The sticking point is what of kind of drug testing? Many unions support saliva testing but not urine testing - employers want both.

The Australian Council of Trade Unions is formulating a workplace drugs testing policy but says drug and alcohol testing should only be a last resort.

Dr Pidd says drug testing in the workplace can help but it's not the whole solution.

KEN PIDD: Drug testing can be a strategy the employers can use but on its own it's likely to have a limited effect and can actually contribute to risk rather than actually reduce any risk if it's poorly implemented.

SUE LANNIN: How can it contribute to risk?

KEN PIDD: One of the things that can happen with drug testing is it can have unexpected outcomes and one of those unexpected outcomes can be that workers simply change their behaviour to avoid detection rather than changing their behaviour to reduce their drug use or drug-related risk in the workplace.

And when that happens, it tends to have a negative impact on the workplace safety culture as a whole.

SUE LANNIN: Ken Pidd says there is higher-than-average use of ice by workers in construction, manufacturing, mining and hospitality.

But he says ice usage in the transport industry has dropped because of more testing and efforts to reduce fatigue in the industry.

Michael Kaine is the national assistant secretary of the Transport Workers Union.

MICHAEL KAINE: In road transport, what happens is that there are a number of symptoms of an industry that is under extreme pressure - speeding, manipulation of logbooks has been recorded over many years.

And also the use of artificial substances to stay awake, and that's because drivers in the road transport sector are under extreme pressure because the companies that engage them are squeezed for every last dollar.

SUE LANNIN: Dave Noonan from the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union is also worried about the increasing use of ice at work.

DAVE NOONAN: It's too important to ignore.

We are aware that there have been some near-miss incidents which have occurred in the construction industry in the last couple of years, which we believe may have an association with the use of ice, and that really worries us a lot.

SUE LANNIN: He says the CFMEU is close to finalising saliva testing trials at some construction sites.

DAVE NOONAN: We've taken a uniform national approach, and we're talking to some of the large construction companies now about rolling out proper and fairer testing right across the country.

It should be mandatory and it should be blanket.

KIM LANDERS: Dave Noonan from the CFMEU ending that report by Sue Lannin.